Wanda Katja Liebermann is an architectural and urban historian and Associate Professor of Architecture at the Gibbs College of Architecture. She is also a licensed architect who practiced for fifteen years in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Liebermann’s research focuses on theories and practices of architecture and urbanism in relationship to social justice movements in the United States. Her work investigates the recursive dynamics between the evolving politics of identity and inclusion and environmental design.
Her book Architecture’s Disability Problem (Routledge, 2024) is the first scholarly monograph to critically analyze the complex relationship between architecture and disability rights in the United States across pedagogy, policy, and practice. The book uses theories from disability studies and science and technology studies to reveal hidden dimensions of architectural objects, practices, and culture. Its aim is to challenge the discipline’s narrow perception and response to disabled bodies.
Liebermann’s writing has appeared in the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Future Anterior, the Journal of Architecture, the Journal of Design History, and several edited anthologies. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, a UC Berkeley Arcus Endowment, the Arnold J. Brunner Grant, and Graham Foundation Grant. Liebermann received a Doctor of Design from Harvard University and a Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from UC Berkeley.
Liebermann has extensive teaching experience in design practice and architectural history, theory, and criticism. Her pedagogical approach is informed by an interdisciplinary social historical lens, which connects theory with empirical examples, offering students tools for formal and critical inquiry.
